Percussionist and singer-songwriter Manami Kakudo has found unexpected wisdom in her feline companion. Her 10-year-old black cat, Kirin, has become more than a pet—he's a creative catalyst and, as Kakudo describes him, "a teacher of love and music."

The duo's connection began serendipitously at a cat adoption event in a local shopping district. Kakudo, who had never lived with a cat before, encountered Kirin when he was just under a year old. "He was trembling, seeming bewildered about being born," she recalls. "I felt some interest and sympathy, so we decided to live together that day."

Kakudo named her companion after the mythical Chinese creature—a choice that felt right given her own name, Manami (meaning "truth"), also represents something non-existent. The name suited a cat that would go on to transform her life philosophy.

Before Kirin arrived, Kakudo lived recklessly, thinking "I could die tomorrow" and neglecting her own wellbeing. Everything changed once she took responsibility for another living being. "This cat needs to eat in the morning and evening. As long as this child is alive, I have to live," she explains. "A future time axis was born for me."

Rather than seeing herself as Kirin's caretaker, Kakudo feels the opposite. "He cares for me. He worries—'Are you okay? Are you doing well?'" The relationship mirrors her creative expression: when moved to do something for Kirin, she sings rather than speaks. These intimate moments have influenced her work directly. Her 2020 album "oar" features "Lullaby," which includes the lyric "a chatty cat"—unmistakably Kirin, whom she describes as surprisingly vocal.

The physical differences between human and feline also inspire her artistically. "When he walks across my body, I become a mountain or river," she notes. "I want to turn those experiences into songs."

Kakudo emphasizes they don't live together as owner and pet, but rather "as a pack of two." Kirin has evolved from a shy cat who hid from visitors to a social creature who joins conversations. Through him, Kakudo discovered what it means to live fully in the present moment—a philosophy that permeates both her art and daily life.